Paradise ✨
March 10, 2022
Amanpulo, heaven on earth
April 10, 2019
Amanpulo, also known as Pamalican Island, is located south of Mindoro and Coron, Palawan in the Philippines. I knew that this island was like no other and seeing it myself felt like a dream. For me, it was truly something magical.
Hollywood celebrities like Mariah Carey, Beyonce, Brad Pitt, Madonna and other A-listers have stayed in this beautiful island that stretches 5.5 km of pristine white sand and clear blue waters. The beach front villas, tree top casitas, main club house, beach club, a Japanese restaurant, a garden restaurant, spa and gym, kite surfing and scuba diving area, tennis courts and an obstacle course are all found in this 89 hectare paradise.
To get there, it’s about a 70 minute plane ride from their private hangar in Manila. Upon arrival, they present to you your very own buggy which you will be using throughout your whole stay to get to the different parts of the island.
They have daily activities which you can partake of like snorkelling (watch out for the hundred year old turtles!), yoga and jungle run to name a few.
or you can also just walk around and explore the whole island yourself.
And don’t get me started with the food. We were so impressed and delighted that the food in the island was nothing short of wonderful. Both the food and the service was of high star quality.
My husband and I are happy and thankful to be able to experience this little piece of heaven on earth. If you can, definitely include this on your list. It is indeed bucket list worthy. ✅
Breathtaking Batanes
September 12, 2017
I can’t believe it took me this long to visit this wonderful place. Batanes, an archipelago province located in the northernmost part of the Philippines, is one of the most picturesque places I have been to here in my country. It’s actually closer to Taiwan than in Manila. We were quite lucky with the weather because September is a bit tricky when traveling in the Philippines as you will most likely get daily rain showers. We had 4 days of blue skies and sunshine, thus our unexpected tan lines.
There’s a lot of sightseeing in Batanes and it is broken down into municipalities. Basco, Mahatao, Ivana, Uyugan, Sabtang and Itbayat. We were able to visit everything but Itbayat because you will need to stay there overnight as they only have 1 boat that ferries daily.
Batanes is a bit pricey compared to other provinces in the Philippines. I guess because of its location, it is quite far from the mainland. It is still very much rural and fortunately well preserved, thanks to the Presidential Proclamation making Batanes the only province declared in its entirety as a protected landscape and seascape area.
Just a few things to expect when in Batanes:
- If you’re a Globe subscriber, expect to have no or little signal and no 3G or LTE. They say Smart subscribers have better signal in Batanes. Wifi is also not free, you will need to pay the hotel or restaurant for internet (P 150 for a few mbps only, quite expensive).
- Most hotels offer packaged tours with an air-conditioned van, lunch and a guide. But if you want to save more, you can hire a tricycle that can take you around (which is what we did) or you can rent bicycles from the town center.
- If you are a coffee lover (like us), there are probably only 2 cafes you can visit for a decent cup of coffee or latte. Harbour Cafe or Fundacion Pacita. They also serve yummy pasta if you get tired of eating local food.
On the third day, we visited Sabtang which is in a different island. Don’t forget to pack a swimsuit because you can swim in some areas. We rented a small boat that took us to Vuhus Island, a 20 minute boat ride from Sabtang. We brought along some beers and snacks and just chilled in that island for an hour or so. On our last day, we hung out and took a quick dip at the Blue Lagoon (back in Basco).
Best time to visit is during summer or the dry ber months, however, they say it can get really packed. We were lucky that the weather was so nice and that there weren’t many tourists around. It felt like we had the whole place to ourselves.
The Philippines is soooo beautiful and I’m so happy I was able to see this great gem of an island called Batanes!
Puerto Princesa
October 20, 2016
Puerto Princesa, located in the middle part of Palawan, is actually more of a city. It’s not like when you visit El Nido where you are closer to the different islands. Puerto Princesa has huge malls, loads of mini hotels and even traffic lights – although still provincial looking.
On our first night, we went on a Firefly Watching Tour. It was 1 hour away by van from the city but the whole river tour was probably just 20 minutes. It was interesting though I must say, I enjoyed the Firefly Watching Tour in Bicol more than this one.
The next day, we went to Sabang Beach. Sand was really nice and white but the water was quite strong.
Beside Sabang beach, you can do a Paddle boat tour by the mangroves or try their Zipline. After Sabang beach, we rode a boat to the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park which is a protected area. The river is called Puerto Princesa Underground River. The tour was also very quick, about 20 minutes. It was nice, but I think I expected a lot.
I’d say if you are a tourist and you don’t have much time, better to skip Puerto Princesa and focus on El Nido or Coron. Nevertheless, it was a fun quick weekend trip with the boyfriend. 💝
Cheers! (This is a pretty good local craft beer btw!)
Islas de Gigantes
September 16, 2016
A total of about 4-5 hours from Manila and you will get to this island. Very bad signal, no internet. Just some white sand, clear waters and if you’re lucky like us, some awesome weather. Very different from the usual Boracay or Cebu as the province is not yet commercialised. But it was refreshing to see the simple life in the islands of Visayas.
Islas de Gigantes is a group of islands in Carles, Ilo-Ilo. Most of the islands we visited had little coves by the Visayan Sea. To get here, we flew from Manila to Roxas city via PAL and took a tricycle from the airport to the Ceres Bus Terminal. (Side note: The tricycle drivers in Roxas take advantage of tourists. We stayed in Roxas City on our last night and all these tricycle drivers were charging us P 50 – P 100 for a ride that would normally cost P 8 – P 16. Don’t be fooled.) We went to Balasan Terminal via the Ceres Bus and took a tricycle to Bancal Port. You can also choose to ride a van if you want. From Bancal Port, we hired a boat for 2 days (through the tourism rep in that port) for P 4,500 only. And that includes the island hopping and the return transfers from Bancal Port to our hotel (Arjan Hotel). We were 6 in our group. Our boat man, Kuya Nonoy, was really really nice and surprisingly, a very good photographer haha!
Island hopping is basically the only thing you can do in this area. Everything can be done in 1 day. So what we did, we ordered food from Arjan Hotel (our budget was P 150/ head) and they packed it together with plates and utensils since we wanted to have lunch in one of the islands (Bantigui Sand Bar). In Bantigui, they were selling steamed scallops for P 1 each!!! It was so good we ordered 100 pieces! I highly recommend this. Eat it together with spicy vinegar and rice. Yum! We also ordered a case of beer (Arjan Hotel gave us some ice and a cooler) and that was the best decision ever.
* Just a tip, though we really enjoyed the service of Arjan Hotel, don’t be bullied into hiring a “tour guide” from them which they will tell you is “mandatory”.
1. It’s not mandatory to have a tour guide (again, do not be fooled) and 2. After we did the island hopping, we were very happy we didn’t get a tour guide because there was no need for one whatsoever. The owner of the hotel hated our guts. It led to a looong argument but anyway, that’s another story to tell. hahaha!
The next day, we went to Roxas City and stayed at Islands Hotel as our flight back to Manila was quite early. There is nothing to do in Roxas City but eat and well, go to the mall. So that was exactly what we did. We went to the bay and ordered loads of seafood. The seafood in Ilo-Ilo and Roxas are very cheap and they’re all fresh. So make sure you take advantage of this. In this trip, we had grilled fish, grilled squid, crabs, scallops, oysters and some seaweed. For probably less than P 300 per head.
Our Islas de Gigantes trip was a fun experience. I’d say 3 days 2 nights was enough for us to see Carles Ilo-Ilo and Roxas City. Another beautiful Philippine island off my list ✔️😊
Masungi Georeserve
July 26, 2016
How is it that this beautiful piece of land is just 1.5 hours away from crazy Metro Manila? And I mean acres of lush greenery, healthy trees and the unique rock formations that created the name Masungi – from the word Masungki which means ‘spiked’ in English (pertaining to the spiked limestone landscape seen all over the the conservation area).
Masungi Georeserve is a discovery trail with paved steps up & down the mountain, sturdy white ropes made to look like large hammocks and hanging bridges overlooking the whole area.
The company taking care of Masungi (Blue Star Construction & Development Corporation) and the foundation body of Masungi have taken real good care of this place and the whole trek was very organized. We barely saw other people even if we knew there was a group ahead of us and after us. Our guide, Kuya Ruben, would coordinate with other guides regarding our pace and location, making it appear as if we had the whole place to ourselves!
There is a long waiting list, so you must book very well in advance. We had to wait for 4 months. Fortunately, the weather that day was perfect. It rained the night before our trip so the ground was cool and we started at 7 am so the sun was about to shine and it wasn’t that hot yet. It took us 5 hours in total (mostly because of all the picture taking). I highly recommend this mini adventure. The Php 1,400/person fee was truly worth it. 👍🏼 (oh, and it comes w a light snack and some water & juice too!) ☺️
Sadly, there is a land dispute happening now between Masungi and the local government of Tanay, Rizal. Apparently, the local government is supporting these land grabbers. Hopefully there will be a fair resolution in court soon. #SaveMasungi 🌳
Apulit Island (El Nido Resorts)
July 5, 2016
Finally found the time to post about my Palawan trip last April 9… ☺️
Apulit Island is an Eco-Adventure island resort set in Taytay Bay, North-east of Palawan. It’s an hour flight from Manila via AirSwift (which handles the air travel of guests booked in any of the El Nido Resorts). In the Manila Domestic Airport (Terminal 4), you will already feel the hospitality and exclusivity of the El Nido Resorts as you will be handed free refreshments and a light breakfast snack while waiting to board the plane. Upon arrival at the El Nido airport, a customized jeepney will shuttle all passengers to the receiving area. Some Kakanin or rice cake (a native Filipino delicacy) are served with refreshments at the receiving area. From there, a private van will take the guests to Taytay for about 45 minutes and then another 40 minutes by boat to get to the island.
It was about 10 am at that time when we reached Taytay. Unfortunately, the boat ride on our way to Apulit Island was so rough due to the strong waves clashing on the speed boat that I got really dizzy and sea sick. Thankfully I survived without vomiting or anything haha! And good thing that the boat ride going back to Taytay (on our last day in Palawan) was very smooth.. so I was really happy about that.
Anyway, as we approached the island, we could already see the beautiful Water Cottages over the crystal clear turquoise water. The sun was shining, the staff welcomed us w a nice song (and some more refreshments!), after that hell of a boat ride, I felt that everything became perfect once again.
The service was exceptional. There were staff members that were once from the old Club Noah that still remain in the now-El Nido Resort. All loyal & loving ladies and gentlemen servicing us with a smile.
Swimming Pool area
View during Breakfast
View from the top, before rappelling
There are so many outdoor activities you could do on the island. You can climb up the cross that’s on top of the limestones and rappel down 60m, hike up the mountain and end up on the other side of the island, go rock climbing 90m high, do paddle boarding & kayaking, snorkel and feed the fishes, go scuba diving or just have a piña colada while sun bathing. This island is perfect for adventure seekers, couples or families with kids.
These photos are not even half as good as how it is in person. And this is just one of the wonderful islands in El Nido Palawan. I can’t wait to see more of Palawan soon. 🙂
Paradise in Apulit Island
April 20, 2016
My first time in El Nido Resorts Palawan and most definitely not the last. I can’t wait to see the other islands – Miniloc, Lagen and Pangalusian. ♥♥♥
Siargao Summer
April 2, 2016
3 years ago, I visited Siargao for my 29th birthday. At that time, I was visiting my friend Sanne who used to work for Kawili, a Swedish-owned Resort. Now, she has her very own place in Siargao called Panglaom Hostel, and it’s actually quite popular! Amazing how the island has grown in a span of 3 years. I mean, not that it’s like Boracay or Cebu. There are just more resorts and cafes now, although still owned by individuals passionate about the island and the lifestyle. So I do hope it stays that way.
My second trip to Siargao was slightly different. It was more touristy, I’d say. My boyfriend’s family visited the Philippines so we had to take them out and show them around. It was fun, of course. We visited a lot of the small islands and lagoon around Siargao and really… I still get blown away by how amazingly beautiful my country is.
We stayed in Kalinaw Resort which is owned by 2 French guys, Fred and Pierre. They only have 5 villas so the place was very spacious, well kept and private. The girls in the restaurant are so cute, friendly & accommodating, as well as the managers, Alex and Mika. Truly fantastic service! Breakfast was yum and the restaurant serves really awesome pizzas and pasta, cooked to perfection – European style and flavor. I am very happy and pleased with our stay in Kalinaw Resort. If you do not mind splurging a bit on accommodations, I highly recommend this place.
We stayed for a few days in the island. Currently off season for surfing in Siargao (best season is around September-February), however there is still surfing all year round. Siargao has numerous surf spots spread across the island. Every morning, we would wake up at 6:30 am to surf at Jacking Horse. Then on our last day, we went to Daku point.
Aside from surfing, there are a lot of activities and places to check out in Siargao.
Sugba Lagoon, also known as Caob
En route you will pass the mangroves in Del Carmen. When you get to the lagoon, there’s a center where you can eat and drink. You can go swimming, paddle boarding and even snorkel. You can find some of those stingless jelly fish just like in Sohoton.
Naked Island
It’s literally a small island full of fine white Boracay-like sand, nothing else hence the name. And yes, I think you can get naked here (?).
Daku Island
Here you can take the boat and surf at Daku point or for some, go snorkeling. You can also just stay in the island and eat, have some fresh buko and just relax.
Guyam Island
A small island with loads of coconut trees. Nothing to do here but just relax, eat, swim and chill.
There are still so many places to see in Siargao. We didn’t have enough time to visit Sohoton and Magpupungko Rock pool. But there’s always next time. The days went by so fast, 5 days not enough. But well, like anything else in travel, it’s always never enough right? 🙂
Kandaya
February 22, 2016
Kandaya Resort is a fairly new luxury destination located at the northern tip of Cebu called Daanbantayan. It’s a 3 hour drive from Cebu city and a boat ride away from Malapascua Island.
The resort was very nice and new, complete with gym and spa facilities, a gaming room, a cross fit and boxing ring, tennis and basketball courts, a horse riding venue and a number of private pools outside the beach front and garden villas.
The bed was very comfortable, room was indeed spacious and everything you need or expect from a luxury or 5 star hotel, you will find here.
The resort is exclusive to the guests so you won’t really see a lot of people walking around… perhaps during summer it will be more packed.
The sand in their beach area is just okay though, not like the world famous Boracay sand. But the beach is clean and it’s actually good for families with children. Also, you can go paddle boarding or kayaking for free, or take a boat ride to Malapascua Island for some snorkeling or diving.
We visited over the Valentine’s Day weekend and it was really nice and relaxing. Always good to check out different spots in the Philippines. Kandaya is perfect for a weekend away from the city especially if you just want to relax and unwind. ‘Til my next trip… Summer is coming and I am very excited! 🙂
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